Grandson of Dexter couple to compete on Olympic soccer team

DEXTER, Mo. — Dax McCarty, the grandson of a local couple, is in the air today on a flight to Beijing, China, where he will be competing as a member of the American soccer team at the Olympic Games.

McCarty, who was featured previously in the Daily Statesman, was called upon last week to be included on the American roster, after defender Nathan Sturgis was ruled out of the games with a hamstring injury.

McCarty, the grandson of Henry and Vivian McCarty of Dexter, is from Winter Park, Fla., and played soccer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2004 to 2005, and was named to the All-ACC first team. He was drafted in the first round of the 2006 Major League Soccer Super Draft by FC Dallas, a major league soccer team, where he remains a current player.

McCarty was later named to the Men's National Soccer Team for 2007. He learned on July 23 that his name had been added to the U.S. Men's Olympic Team. He has spent the earlier part of this week in training at Palo Alto, Calif., where team members are also being fitted for the U.S. team's uniform and warm-ups.

The 21-year-old McCarty is the son of Gordon "Dart" and Cynthia McCarty. He was initially on the roster as an alternate, but the midfielder was moved up with the Sturgis injury.